


the cup of an emperor's hands

by Serenity_Ribbon



Category: A Memory Called Empire - Arkady Martine
Genre: F/M, Gen, Loyalty, Minor Character Death, Teixcaalani Politics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:54:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28110477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serenity_Ribbon/pseuds/Serenity_Ribbon
Summary: Nineteen Adze wasn't expecting to be thrust back into the world of court politics and made an ezuazuacat without so much as a by your leave.
Relationships: Five Agate & Nineteen Adze, Nineteen Adze/Six Direction
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14
Collections: Yuletide 2020





	the cup of an emperor's hands

**Author's Note:**

  * For [UrsulaKohl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/UrsulaKohl/gifts).



> Happy Yuletide, UrsulaKohl!
> 
> The title is from the extract from _The Secret History of Emperors_ from the start of Chapter Five of _A Memory Called Empire_.

It was impossible to sleep. There was something in her that had gotten so used to the cramped quarters, the lighting and most of all the constant vibrations of even the most well equipped ship in flight that couldn’t get used to this opulence of silence. Nineteen Adze sighed, rolled over again, and then made the decision to attempt to do something useful with her time.

The infofiche sticks she received as a newly made ezuazuacat were in many ways not that different from the ones she’d received as a yaotlek, all the way down to the visibly inexperienced aide-de-camp organising them and handing them over to be read every morning. The one who had sorted this bowl was called Five Agate, and Nineteen Adze had first encountered her at a poetry salon where Five Agate had been babysitting a third-class patrician, the type who only had an aide because her parent was a high-ranking member of the Judiciary. Five Agate’s visible talents had been wasted on someone who thought the height of entertainment was getting drunk and listening to bad poetry.

The other way they were similar was in their goals. It seemed that she would have to negotiate as much ingratiating behavoiur as she had as a yaotlek, only this time with a fancier title. She preferred the planetary officials, so far. Texicallani politics worked in poetry and allusion and a part of her was still getting used to it, to making a reference to this and that and having it mean something, not getting blank stares in return or, at best, rote answers from the barbarian rulers of those planets and stations, desperately trying to cram a lifetime of culture into a few years of education and always knowing they would fail miserably. It was far easier than this.

There was nothing there to hold her attention for more than five minutes. Nineteen Adze fell back onto her too-soft bed and stared at the ceiling. It was worse this time. She was never going back. Ezuazuacat were meant to be the Emperor's sworn band, never to leave them unprotected. Six Direction had chained her here with one decree.

She couldn’t even figure out why.

* * *

She continued to muse the question over breakfast the next morning, Fourteen Apple raising an eyebrow at her bleary eyes. Six Direction hadn’t seen her apart from her investiture since she’d arrived on _Bloom of a Thousand Flowers_ a little under a month ago. Initially it had been the natural finish of her latest tour of duty, a small break to enjoy the Jewel of the World before returning to her first love, the stars. And then he’d effectively appointed her ezuazuacat with barely a by-your-leave, only a fairly obscure conversation that she’d only afterwards realised the significance of.

She didn’t like it when he left her in the dark, especially about matters of politics. It made her want to be angry at him, to remind him she wasn’t the third-class patrician training to be a soldier that he’d met all those years ago.

Five Agate was watching the screen over her desk. Nineteen Adze wandered over, still holding her breakfast and perched behind her on the edge of one of the desks. Five Agate was focused on the channels flicking across the screen, until she settled on Channel Eight!. The presenters were eagerly talking about that night's party and the poetry offerings on hand.

“Are you looking forward to seeing Nine Maize in person tonight?” Nineteen Adze asked.

Five Agate visibly tensed. They’d have to work on that. But she was quick, and with a little coaxing she might even become more able than Fourteen Apple, who hadn’t asked to be stuck here with her. She’d carefully train Five Agate and then release Fourteen Apple back to the skies where she’d thrive as another yaotlek’s aide-de-camp. Perhaps Two Key, who had a reputation for being firm and fair, perhaps a little fairer than Nineteen Adze herself could be to people who didn’t want to accept civilization. There were benefits to scraping what little rough away from a jewel to let it shine yourself, instead of accepting one that someone else had polished.

Especially with her position so new, and potentially vulnerable. She’d been away for too many years, and although she’d tried to keep up with the latest politics from afar, it was hard. Even during her leave periods, she’d often been too busy catching up on sleep to do much else.

Fourteen Apple cleared her throat behind them, “The new Minister for Information, Seven Fence, is asking for an urgent meeting with you. Apparently he sent an infofiche directly to you two days ago?” The look on her face could be called insubordinate, and Five Agate glanced between them.

“Hand it here. I had thought there might be a bit more variety between the barbarians and citizens, but apparently not.”

“Still.” As she answered the request with her cloudhook she could hear Fourteen Apple explaining to Five Agate how the post was her greatest weakness.

“He’ll be here in the next hour.”

Seven Fence, when he did finally arrive, brought with him only one assistant who he left in the main office with her aides. She showed him into a more private room and they exchanged pleasantries and court gossip before he moved on to what he had come here for.

“You have more than enough military victories, Your Excellency, that I think many would be happy to see you… step out of the shadows a little.” he said. It wasn't that unusual for a former ezuazuacat to be raised to the position of emperor, either by acclimation or association, or even as a regent. But to cast her in the mold of Fifteen Sunflower, as his words suggested... that was almost brazen.

How many people at court thought like that, like her relationship with Six Direction was transactional, as shallow as Fifteen Sunflower’s loyalties had been to his emperor? She almost wished that she could feel like that, that she didn’t yearn for the heat of his body at night in her cold bed, away in the stars. It would make things much, much easier. 

“I am more than happy to continue serving the Light Emitting Starlike Emperor however it would be most useful to him, Seven Fence.” she replied. “Let the blood sacrifices of acclimation remain in the histories.”

"There is also the matter of that ambassador."

This was news to her, though she tried not to show it. Seven Fence went on, “He seems absolutely fascinated by this barbarian from one of those space stations in Parzrawantlak Sector. Aghavn, I think his name is. I don’t know what he’s offered him but it isn’t a good look for His Brilliance to be so obviously obsessed, I think.”

She didn’t say anything, just silently stood to let him know his minutes of her precious time were over. He glanced back at her, obviously wanting her to comment. He wouldn’t last much longer in that position if he said something like that tonight, or anywhere near the Emperor. After she saw him out, she gestured to her aides.

“I want eyes on him tonight, and any he reckons are in his faction.

* * *

There were mutterings as she moved through the crowd, Fourteen Apple on her left and Five Agate on her right, who looked half in a daze at everything around her. Fourteen Apple had lost nothing of her drill sergeant voice it seemed, and she smiled placidly at their fellow aide, pointing out Nine Maize in a low voice. As Five Agate drifted off towards him, Fourteen Apple turned to Nineteen Adze. “Seven Fence.”

“Yes.”

“I wonder how many he has that are truly on his side.” she took two glasses of some orange concoction off a tray and handed one to Nineteen Adze, “You and I both know they often overestimate things like that.”

“Or how many cowards they have in their ranks.” Nineteen Adze said, taking a sip. It wasn’t too bad, but the fruity taste was nearly overwhelmed by alcohol. She could nearly think about this as one of her many, many assignments, if things were going to play out this way. It wasn't dissimilar, figuring out which factions to play off each other, where the weak points were. It seemed like civilization and barbarity were not too far away from each other, sometimes.

“That too.” Fourteen Apple had positioned them so they had a clear line of sight to where Seven Fence was standing now, with a crowd from the Judiciary, of all things. Was he fishing or were their problems between Six Direction and Eight Loop?

They could see Five Agate from here too, who had resumed her normal grace and poise as she got closer to Nine Maize. She looked confident in the stark white that Nineteen Adze and Fourteen Apple were also wearing, which had drawn at least half the looks they’d gotten when they entered the room.

“Pretty, isn’t it?”

Nineteen Adze turned, and then looked up. Another thing to make her feel like she was on campaign again. If she wasn’t mistaken… “Ambassador Aghavn?”

He smiled at her like a child would and it was so unexpected she nearly started. He must’ve known that wasn’t usual here, Lsel Station wouldn’t send an idiot. “Your Excellency.” he nodded and moved back off towards the centre of the room.

“Someone wanted to make himself known.” Fourteen Apple muttered.

Nineteen Adze gestured to Five Agate when she was next facing them, and she came over towards them. “Anything interesting?”

“Nine Maize isn’t letting on much about his latest composition, but epics are having a fad recently. There wasn’t much talk about His Brilliance at all, really.”

Which either meant that they knew not to talk about it too much in public, or that support wasn’t that widespread. “Good, Five Agate.”

Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a small commotion in one of the side corridors. She slipped off, motioning to Fourteen Apple to hold position. A pair of panicked looking servers stood at the entrance to the corridor. She cleared her throat.

“Your Excellency!”

“What’s happening here?”

“Well, the person was meant to come with the food before His Brilliance came but…” he gestured back to the room, where the throne was beginning to emerge.

Nineteen Adze licked her teeth. “Let’s go and look, shall we?”

The servers followed her, nervously muttering to each other. Some nonsense about hauntings or kidnappings. They were barely children and probably watched far too many dramas.

The muttering abruptly stopped when they came across the server dead on the floor behind the trolley of food.

* * *

Somewhere between her military training and pure adrenaline, she’d managed to keep calm and calmly insisted one of the servers got a medic and Eight Loop. She vaguely remembered making sure Fourteen Apple knew her way back to her apartments. And somehow, much, much later she’d negotiated her way past Twenty-Nine Bridge, or he’d taken one look at her face and let her through. It wasn’t like she didn’t know these rooms.

“Why?”

“To show I’m so weak I can’t even stop a poisoning within my own palace, Nineteen Adze. Isn’t that what you’d do?” asked Six Direction, his grey hair shining under the dawnlamps. There had still been some black in it, during her last leave. “Now do you understand why I need you here and not out there?” Six Direction stroked her cheek and she leant in to place her head on his shoulder. He had always ran hot and his body felt like an inferno against hers.

There had been whispers for years, but they had just been whispers, not threats. Or acts. This time it was a palace servant, someone new and inexperienced. It might be a patrician next. 

“They see me getting old, that I haven’t associated someone and think that I’m weak, think I’ve forgotten that they acclaimed me out of a fear of chaos. Sixty years of peace will be broken because they want power.” He paused. “Maybe I’ll throw them Eight Loop. That should quiet them for a while, until I can think of a better solution.”

She decided not to tell him about Seven Fence in her office that morning, or that his favourite poet, Five Photograph, was trying to curry favour with the Emperor. Five Agate had told her so much at the salon at which they’d met. That she’d noticed that had made Nineteen Adze start concentrating and realise what she’d thought was small talk was careful analysis.

She wondered if his sudden fascination with a backwater ambassador was connected to his ‘better solution’.

* * *

The streets were nearly deserted, apart from the Sunlit. They marched in groups, keeping a close eye on the few citizens still out. Nineteen Adze deliberately walked the longest, winding route she could think of. It had been a long, long time since the Palace complex had been under threat like this. Sixty years, Six Direction had said, and he wasn’t wrong. Longer than Nineteen Adze had been alive.

Along this route was the sun temple where litanies had been read for her legion, when she’d first gone offworld. It came into view just as the sun poked over the tall buildings that made up the Palace, touching it’s coloured glass roof and setting the whole thing on fire.

She looked at the Sunlit, who had not so-subtly tracked her pause to look at the temple. Turning back towards her offices, she sent a short message to Fourteen Apple and Five Agate on her cloudhook.

When she arrived at her apartments, the sun was already nearly fully up. Five Agate was lying under a pile of throws and blankets on one of the couches. Fourteen Apple was sitting at her desk surrounded by screens, looking as if she hadn't slept a wink. She looked up as Nineteen Adze came in. “Don’t bother with me. Go and get some sleep.”

She wandered into her bedroom, not even taking off her clothes before collapsing into bed. This time, sleep came as easily as breathing.

* * *

Five Agate was wearing loose exercise clothing, as she’d requested, when she woke up a few hours later. Nineteen Adze felt vaguely woozy, the feeling comparable to a hangover, or the aftermath of a long siege. It was to her continuing fascination that Six Direction functioned like this all the time and a favourite joke when she was younger had been to imply that he slept during the more boring meetings, like the old man he was.

She had thought he was old then. His hands would only grow frailer, his mind possibly remaining or possibly growing more feeble as the years ticked on. In many ways the factions calling for the security of the succession were very, very right. The transfer of power from Twenty-Four Hydrograph to Six Direction had been relatively smooth, if not bloodless and now with the situation at Odile it was ever less likely to be that way again. It showed, really, in the ambassadors, poking their heads where they weren’t wanted, looking to turn the Empire’s weaknesses to their advantage.

Nineteen Adze led Five Agate down the centre stairs of her complex, into the basement. At some point this would likely become more offices, or a library or archive; but for now it was a convenient, empty room. It wasn’t like she could teach her newest aide-come-apprentice how to use a shockstick in one of the City’s public gyms. That would attract far too much unwanted attention.

She handed Five Agate the plain metal practice rod, and took up one of the live shocksticks she’d bought herself. At her disbelieving look she said, “I think both of us know where this is going.”

Five Agate took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Yes.”

“You don’t have to be in the middle of it if you don’t want to. It is only going to get worse from here, and I wouldn’t lose respect if you decide it's not for you.”

“I try to finish what I start, Your Excellency.” she replied, mildly.

“Good. Now, you take this end…” Nineteen Adze’s shockstick crackled with electricity as she held it. It wasn’t her preferred weapon by far, but it was simple enough to train Five Agate, and eventually the other staff she’d take on. Fourteen Apple still had her blaster, and she would run through some shooting drills to keep them both sharp.

She showed Five Agate how to balance the stick, how the rounded end you held away from you would want to tip you over the entire time and first, how to defend with the stick held across you.

There were no windows in this part of the complex, but she could feel the hours ticking on in the sweat and tiredness in both their bodies. It had been a long time since Nineteen Adze had lead an attack from the front and from the looks of it, Five Agate had been wary of exercise classes, at least recently. A joke about that had her wheezing, her hands on her knees.

“You know me, Your Excellency, always with my head in a book.”

Nineteen Adze smiled back. She did know, already, despite the fact that it’d only been a matter of weeks since they’d started working together. Five Agate craved information of any sort, trawled through channels as a hobby. She held out a hand and pulled Five Agate up.

“Ready to learn how to attack?”


End file.
